 |
| Night tour Thang Long Imperial Citadel Decoding. (Source: VNA) |
Currently, night tourism in Vietnam mainly focuses on simple entertainment activities such as eating, shopping at night markets or having fun at pubs and bars. Although these activities attract a certain number of tourists, it is clearly not enough to meet the diverse and increasing needs of international tourists.
A noteworthy issue is that most of the current night tourism products lack specificity and are not specifically designed for foreign tourists. Art performances and night tours such as the "Sacred Night" Tour at Hoa Lo Prison Relics, the Quintessence of the North Show, and the Imperial Citadel Decoding only have guides in Vietnamese, making it difficult for tourists to access and deeply understand Vietnamese culture.
Developing night tourism not only helps increase the length of stay and spending of tourists, but also contributes to creating more jobs and boosting the local economy. In particular, night tourism can become a typical tourism product, helping Vietnam differentiate itself from other destinations in the region. Night tourism is an effective way to promote the image of the country, culture and people of Vietnam to international friends.
 |
| Foreign tourists at the VUI-Fest night market, Phu Quoc. (Photo: thanhnien.vn) |
Thailand and Singapore are two typical examples of successful development of night tourism. In Thailand, Patpong Night Market in Bangkok and Chiang Mai Night Market are famous destinations, attracting millions of international tourists every year. Activities here include not only shopping but also street art performances, cuisine and other entertainment activities.
Singapore is also one of the leading countries in exploiting night tourism. A typical example is the Marina Bay Sands entertainment complex, where water and light music performances take place. In addition, Singapore also organizes cultural events such as the iLight Marina Bay light festival, attracting millions of tourists.
In 2019, in France, night tourism generated 157 billion USD, accounting for about 20% of the total tourism industry value. In Thailand, night tourism contributed about 63 billion USD, accounting for about 11% of the total tourism industry value; in Malaysia, it was about 20 billion USD, accounting for about 20% of the total tourism industry value.
The above figures give Vietnam more motivation to develop night tourism. With its inherent potential, Vietnam certainly has many ways to make its mark in this field and become an attractive destination for international tourists not only during the day but also at night./.